Lethal Liaisons (Willful Women Assassins Series) Read Online Free Page B

after.”
    “No, we'll talk about
it now and besides, it's your turn for that ! Plus, I
don't even know that I would say 'yes'.”
    “Why wouldn't you?”
    “Why would I?”
    Just then, his phone rang.
    “It's Aunt Bea. She
wants to know if we can come for dinner next Easter.”
    “She really plans
ahead. Did your friends ever call you Opie when you were growing up?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Oh, never mind.”
    “Well, we did
nickname Carlton the doorman though. So do you want to go or
not?” he asked.
    “I don't get it.
Okay, we can go, but only if you take your turn at you-know-what.”
    “We'll be there, Aunt
Bea,” he promptly replied.
    The next day, he took Kris
gun shopping.
    “We'll look at a few.
It's mostly a matter of personal preference, Kris. There's the Parker
Hale 85 or the 308, and there's the Lapua. Some are more
aesthetically pleasing than others, some designed more for
entry-level work. The Remington 700P is a good one. You could get a
rifle for under a thousand dollars, or go custom made and spend ten
grand. Like I said, it's personal preference. I'm still in touch with
some of my buddies from training at Ft. Benning and might be able to
help you get a good one. How much do you want to spend?”
    “'A craftsman is only
as good as his tools' dad used to always say. I want to be the best.
Ten grand is good.”
    The rest of the afternoon
was spent shopping and learning. In the end, Kris opted for the
custom model. Randolph special-ordered it through one of his buddies.
When it arrived, he wrapped it as a gift, placing a diamond ring
around the trigger. Kris arrived for dinner early that evening.
    “What's this?”
    “What's it look
like?”
    “My sniper rifle!”
she said excitedly.
    “Open it.”
    She tore off the wrapping
paper and drooled over her new toy, quickly noticing the trigger
assembly. “What's this, good sir?”
    “What's what?”
    She slipped it off the
weapon, not sure which item was giving her more goose bumps, the
rifle or the ring. It was the ring she realized, trying it on for
size. “Oh my, it's just the right size. I love it!”
    “So? Will you marry
me, honey?” he asked, kneeling on one knee.
    Once again, she looked into
his eyes, pausing to answer. He began to get more nervous.
    “Are you sure, baby?”
    “Totally! I love you,
Kristie! I want to spend the rest of my life with you and have lots
of kids, if that's what you want.”
    “Yes!” They
kissed, but instead of heading for the bedroom to celebrate, she
picked up the rifle. “Oh, Randolph, you couldn't have possibly
gotten me a better engagement present. Let's go shoot it!”
    He gave her shooting
lessons the rest of the evening and was impressed with her progress.
“You're almost as good as I was when I started,” he said.
    “Soon I'll be
better!”
    “Ya think?”
    “I know! I'll be the
best. I'm a girl who gets what she wants,” she bragged, holding
up her left hand and showing off her new ring. “I can't wait to
see the expression on everyone's faces at Easter dinner this
weekend!”
    “About that, there
are a few things you should know about me before we do this,”
he cautioned.
    “Don't tell me yet,”
she requested, placing her forefinger on his lips.
    “You women are
attracted by the mysterious element, aren't you?”
    “I'm as curious as a
cat, but we all know what happened to that poor cat,” she said.
“Things have been so good between us that I don't want to risk
it. Just tell me later and remind me that you offered.”
    “'Nuf said,” he
replied with an expression of relief.
    “I'm going to text
Karlee to be sure she and Carlton will be there for Easter dinner to
share in the news. If I call her, she'll surely get it out of me, but
by texting, it'll keep her guessing.”
    Meanwhile, Karlee was
reflecting on her life and pondering her future. Listening to Janine
had fired-up her imagination in considering her life-path and its
possibilities. Their talk had intrigued and